


The Wildflower Prince

by PangolinPirate, solohux



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alpha Kylo Ren, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fairy Tale Elements, Falling In Love, M/M, Magic, Omega Armitage Hux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-03-10 08:41:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13498520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PangolinPirate/pseuds/PangolinPirate, https://archiveofourown.org/users/solohux/pseuds/solohux
Summary: Armitage Hux is an omega, locked away in a tower until his alpha father can find use for him. His tower is deep in the enchanted forests and surrounded by an impenetrable circle of magic, so Hux lives a very lonely and quiet life. That is, until gifts begin appearing upon his balcony.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a collab between myself and the wonderful & beautiful [@pangolinpirate](https://pangolinpirate.tumblr.com/) ❤️
> 
> It's going to be multichaptered, with updates depending on my ability to get my head out of my arse! The writing is by yours truly, and the beautiful artwork is by [@pangolinpirate](https://pangolinpirate.tumblr.com/) ❤️
> 
> [@Pangolinpirate](https://pangolinpirate.tumblr.com/) is an absolute joy to work with and we're super excited to share this AU we've created! Enjoy! ❤️

Armitage Hux yawns and stretches out in his small bed, waking to the same thing as every other morning; the rising sun shining through his curtains and the heavy silence of his own loneliness.

Turning onto his back, Hux reaches for the little piece of rope beside his bed and gives it a tug, opening the curtains of the window that sits above him in the roof of his cylindrical tower, already seeing that the grey clouds of the early morn have begun to move away, giving him a pleasant view of the blue sky and birds flying by.

Oh, he thinks, kicking off his bedsheets and rubbing his eyes, what it would mean to him to be _free._

This tower has been Hux’s home for the last few years, each day no different than the last, the next no more exciting than the previous. Repetitiveness, a drill every morning to get his mundane duties done before he allows himself to relax. Hux does, however, like sticking to his routine; it gives his day and evening structure, reminding him of a simpler time at the cadet’s barracks. At least, too, the routine gives him something to think about, other than his father’s _blazing_ disappointment in him.

Hux is an omega living in a kingdom of alphas and betas. Presenting at 17 years old, and expecting his knot to pop but rather finding that he didn’t have one, Hux had believed that he may have been treated like royalty, being so rare, but instead, he’s locked away like a beast. Or rather, like the jewel to go around a beast’s neck. He’s a prize, awaiting the day that his father will come to him with the news of his betrothal, news that Brendol has _finally_ found a rich alpha to take his omega son off his hands for good.

Hux sighs as he rises from his bed and goes into the little bathroom, washing his face in the basin before looking at his reflection in the dully-shining piece of hanging metal on the wall that acts as a mirror. With his father visiting today, Hux knows his appearance has to be as smart as if he were back in the kingdom’s young soldier regiment; his red hair cut short, his face clean-shaven and his _chambers_ tidy and presentable.

After dressing in a pair of dark brown trousers and a soft, long-sleeved white shirt, Hux takes care down the winding, rickety staircase down from the antechamber of his bedroom and into the open, main—and _only other_ —room of his tower. With his bare feet padding softly against the wooden floor, he walks to the small kitchen area and begins preparing his own breakfast, chopping what little fruit and bread he had left, silently being thankful that Brendol will be bringing supplies to him today. He’d politely asked for some pastries upon his father’s next visit, to which he’d received a huff in reply, but Hux smiles and still holds out a little hope that he’ll be treated to some sweet treats for his lack of attempts to escape within the past month.

There’s a small table with one stool in the main chamber of Hux’s tower where he sits and eats, looking out through the large windows that lead out onto his balcony as he finishes the last piece of fruit in his meal, wiping the juice from his lips with his napkin, taking a final sip of his favourite berry-flavoured tea before he begins cleaning. Sweeping, dusting, organising; it’s all for Brendol’s visit, supposedly, but Hux admits to himself that the tidiness of his tower is the _only_ thing that he has control over, and _he likes it._

But even as he sweeps, Hux finds his mind wandering, eyes looking to the book-covered walls that surround him. Shelf upon shelf stacks up as tall as the ceiling, holding the dozens of books that Hux has indulged in to pass the time, some even having to be piled either side of his balcony doors because of lack of space—though, he reminds himself to move them to his bedroom before Brendol appears. All shelves are alphabetised for ease of use, and Hux slowly walks around the edge of the room, looking up and down his collection, wondering which one he should start today. Books give him the illusion of freedom, he finds; immersing himself in the written word and accompanying artwork is the _only_ sort escape Hux gets, but he tells his father that it’s for academic purposes, the only way of making sure that Brendol brings him more books to add to his collection.  

Though, it’s been a while since Brendol has gifted his son a new book, so as Hux browses, he knows that he’s them all before, but he picks one about the history of sorcery, for some reason, admiring its black, matt cover and the silver lettering on the spine. It’s been a while since he’s indulged in some reading about magic users and their powers so Hux nods to himself, pleased with his choice, before grabbing his worn and shabby dark red cloak and descending the spiralled steps from his rooms at the top of his tower and down to the grassy plain below.

Just as he’d expected, the morning chill has disappeared from the air and the sun sits high in the cloudless sky, shining down on the small clearing where Hux’s tower sits in the unfindable centre of the maze that the kingdom calls _the enchanted forest._ Tall trees with thick, dark trunks cover the perimeter of the round clearing whilst a narrow tributary of the kingdom’s river forks around the tower, giving Hux at least a _form_ of a water supply. He gives his little vegetable patch a look over too, checking the progress of his potatoes and carrots, giving his cherry tomatoes a little squeeze before watering them a little. The grass is soft and warm beneath Hux’s bare feet, and he chooses a spot in the shade of his tower’s shadow to lay his cloak down and settle himself on it before opening his book.

And despite being out in the open air, Hux has never felt more suffocated.

He glances up from his book when the trees rustle yet he sees nothing, only the invisible circle around his glade that keeps him here, that _traps_ him here. It’s an enchantment of some sort, a line of unseen fire around him that burns him if he attempts to escape, a truth he’s learned _twice,_ and the rash-like burns on his skin had been difficult to hide, covering his legs and arms as he’d tried to step past the trees but finding himself unable to go any further because of the searing pain on his skin.

Hux itches his arm as he recalls his failed escape attempts, still staring at the trees in front of him, imagining the life he could have had.

A trap to keep the omega in, a repellent to keep alphas away. And as long as Hux remains here upon his father’s forceful decree, he’s nothing more than an omega waiting to be mated.

The wind blows, and Hux lifts his chin and closes his eyes, feeling its coolness on his skin and it waft his hair out of its place. There’s a warmth on his cheeks that appears almost suddenly as the leaves rustle with the wind. Could it be his heat? _No. Impossible_. Hux has only ever had _one_ previous heat; when he first presented as an omega in his late teens and his father locked him in their basement, ashamed that his son, with so much potential to be _great,_ was trembling with the need to be mated.

And after that, Brendol had acquired a potion from a sorcerer—likely the same on that’d crafted the fiery barrier—that prevents Hux from falling into heat until the day that his alpha suitor comes for him, a day that Hux _hopes_ never comes.

The sky darkens. Hux shakes his head and pushes out any thoughts that _aren’t_ about his book, feeling his chest beginning to tighten as he’s angered by the fate that has been decided for him but he delves back into the pages of his tome, taking in each word about the workings of a world he’s only ever experienced though the seal that keeps him here.

Magic, sorcery, _enchantments._ Hux turns his nose up. An evil world, surely. No good can come from magic users and their desire to _meddle_ with the lives of normal folk. Hux drags his fingers across the parchment paper, looking at the pictures drawn of ancient amulets and spell circles. If this _nonsense_ didn’t exist, then he wouldn’t be trapped here by the invisible line of fire, created by a dark sorcerer.

Then again, Hux thinks, looking at the sky, a literal cage with metal bars and a lock may have been the alternative. And as clouds begin to push their way into the sky and the wind picks up, Hux closes his book and pulls his cloak around himself, knowing that the afternoon is dying, and Brendol is coming.

He quickly goes back up to his tower to put his book away neatly before hanging his cloak up and setting some water to boil to make sure his father has tea waiting for him when he arrives. It should, Hux hopes, help settle Brendol’s seemingly permanent bad mood. The long walk through the enchanted forest would put anyone’s frustrations up but with ex-military man and _stern_ alpha Brendol Hux whose frustrations are _always_ running on the edge of explosion, the forest walk means he’s already on the verge of an angry outburst by the time he reaches his son’s tower.

Today, Hux finds, is no different.

“Armitage,” Brendol greets coldly, removing his grey, hooded cloak and tossing it in Hux’s direction to hang, setting a large basket down beside the cream sofa.

“Father,” Hux replies. He wants to roll his eyes at his father’s use of his first, _hated_ name but instead, gives him a forced smile and begins preparing Brendol’s tea.

The silence between them would be unnerving and awkward to an outsider but Hux is unaffected by it; too many times has be tried to fill it with conversation that’s been shot down by a calloused stare or venomous words. So, now, Hux prefers the silence.

“If these rooms were your barracks, I’d be inclined to say you’ve done well at keeping them clean,” Brendol says, taking the cup of tea from Hux without thanks. “But they’re not.”

Hux ignores him, having learnt a long time ago not to rise to Brendol’s taunts. He perches on a nearby stool, sipping at his own tea, eyes drifting towards the basket that his father has brought, wondering what food is inside.

“Aren’t you going to ask about my progress in finding you a mate?” Brendol says.

Hux glances up from the basket to Brendol, wanting to ask about the food he’s brought rather than know _anything_ about his search for an alpha.

“Of course,” Hux lies, adding a confident nod too. “I was just about to offer my interest.”

“I was almost successful,” Brendol announces. “The royal guards were recently graced with a new arrival. A captain, an alpha, an exceptionally strong woman that would’ve been perfect to take you. Alas, her attentions were taken by a soft, little beta and my search is fruitless yet again.”

Hux can’t help but breathe a heavy sigh of relief. Imagining himself on the arm of an alpha captain makes him shiver. He wants to remain unmated, and _certainly_ not _become_ mated to an individual of position in the kingdom’s army, a position he could’ve likely achieved if he weren’t an omega.

“That is…unfortunate,” Hux says, feigning disappointment.

“It is,” Brendol mutters. “But it further proves my logic of keeping you here, Armitage. Even that alpha succumbed to her needs and mated with that beta before I could offer her a chance to mate with you. A victim of her own nature. It shows how some alphas can be weak like omegas when it comes to their biology.”

Hux can’t hold his tongue, “You tar everyone with the same brush, Father. She could have been in love with that beta—”

“ _Love!”_ Brendol erupts into hearty laughter. “You sound like a naïve pup, Armitage. Love does not exist in our world. You mate for prosperity, to provide heirs to your bloodline. To think of it in any other way is folly.”

Hux takes a long sip of his tea, wishing he had some form of alcohol in it to numb his senses and increase his tolerance for Brendol’s ideals but, dear, it remains merely tea.

Their conversation for the afternoon remains focussed on Hux’s lack of suitor and how Brendol’s impatience grows at that very fact. Hux merely sits and listens, knowing that fighting back or defending himself, or his biology, is a waste of time. He nods along with Brendol’s words, not even having the will to daydream about his future, knowing that he can never meet anyone or fall in love, so what’s the point in even _dreaming?_

The evening draws to a slow close, the light fading away until Hux has to excuse himself for a moment to begin lighting candles around his rooms in the hopes that it’ll make Brendol realise how much he’s overstayed his welcome.

“I’ll take my leave, Armitage,” Brendol finally says as Hux clears their cups from the small table. “Here. Supplies. You need to ration yourself more, boy. I can’t keep bringing you items when it’s merely your greed that’s getting the better of you.”

Hux swallows hard, resisting the urge to lift his shirt and show his father his flat stomach and partially-protruding ribs, and then poke Brendol in his fat stomach or his fleshy jowls. If anyone in the entire kingdom was to be named the most gluttonous, Brendol Hux would annihilate the rest of the competition.

Hux takes the basket from his father with a half-sincere thanks, wanting to remove its cloth to see what he’s been brought, but he puts off the action until he’s alone.

“Have a safe trip, Father,” Hux says, silently wishing the opposite.

“I shall return in one week like always, Armitage, hopefully with news of someone who will take you off my hands.”

“Oh, we can only hope,” Hux replies.

If Brendol catches his sarcasm, the alpha does not comment.

Hux fetches Brendol’s cloak for him, supposing that it’s the next best thing to actually _pushing_ him out of the door. The clothing is soft in Hux’s fingers, new and expensive, and it only makes Hux despise his father more.

The two utter no more words to each other as Brendol descends the staircase and Hux stays at his balcony, watching his despicable father walk away from him, wishing that the enchantment would malfunction just for a moment and scold the old alpha to death. But he steps over the invisible line without incident; the _only_ alpha allowed in or out of Hux’s prison.

Hux stays on the balcony for a while after his father has gone, looking out to see the radiant orange sky and the sun setting over the tall trees of the enchanted forest, and imagines a world where no alphas, no omegas, no one and nothing to determine your fate for you.

When his stomach begins to rumble with hunger, Hux sighs and goes back inside, remember the food basket that his father brought to him. He picks it up and sets it on the table, pulling off the cloth with eager fingers, rooting inside of it to find the usual fruits, vegetables breads and cheeses, but Hux huffs and puts the cloth back over it.

_No pastries._

////////////

Hux wakes the next morning with the lingering aggravation of his father’s visiting on his mind though everything else remains the same. He chooses not to linger too long in bed this morning, feeling eager to make his breakfast with the fresh produce in the basket, knowing that as the days go on, things will become less tasty and _less_ edible.

Still in just his brown sleep-pants and no shirt, Hux makes his way around his rooms, opening curtains and neatening things up that he may have missed last night whilst in his foul mood.

But as he opens the curtains to reveal the large windows that lead out onto his balcony, Hux freezes on the spot. Something is wrong. _Something is there._

There are flowers, real and vibrant red roses, sat on the stone of his balcony, tied together in a perfect bunch with a piece of red string. Hux is utterly baffled.

He peers over the side, looking down into his little meadow carefully, just in case they’re a distraction in an attempt to either capture him or kill him—likely the former, he decides—but he sees nothing. The grass remains undisturbed, the little river is still flowing and there’s still the familiar and strange _pull_ of the invisible circle around his tower that forbids him from leaving.

Just for peace of mind, Hux also looks _up_ , afraid an assassin may be on his roof but, again, he sees nothing.

With hesitation, Hux kneels down, ignoring the slight chill of the early morning wind on his bare torso, and brushes his fingers against the red petals. It’s been years since he’s seen roses, since he’s seen something with some _vibrant_ and new colour that he can’t help but smile when he picks them up. Even the red string is soft as he touches it, pulling it between his fingers, remembering it as the same string that he used to tie the spines of his over-read books back together.

He’s careful with his flowers, cutting them down to fit perfectly inside an old pot that he finds in the back of one of the little cupboards in his kitchen, setting them upon his table, a perfect centrepiece that he knows will make him smile every time he looks at them.

And only when he’s sat down at the table, staring at the flowers, does Hux’s mind really begin to tick.

_Who put the roses there?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It begins! 
> 
> My tumblr is [@solohux](http://solohux.tumblr.com/) & pangolinpirate is [here](https://pangolinpirate.tumblr.com/)! ❤️


	2. Chapter 2

_Hux is careful with his flowers, cutting them down to fit perfectly inside an old pot that he finds in the back of one of the little cupboards in his kitchen, setting them upon his table, a perfect centrepiece that he knows will make him smile every time he looks at them._

_And only when he’s sat down at the table, staring at the flowers, does Hux’s mind really begin to tick._

_Who put the roses there?_

Nobody can get _through_ the circle’s enchantment besides Brendol, and Hux would go as far as saying that it’d be an impossibility for his father to sneak into Hux’s tower during the night, leave roses for him and disappear without a trace. The only things that Brendol brings him are supplies of food and a reminder of his disappointment in his omega son; he would never gift him so much as a smile, never mind fresh flowers.

Besides, roses are the flower of romance, aren’t they? Of love, beauty, _desire_. Hux covers his mouth to hide his smile. He, for the moment, chooses to ignore the fact that someone has breached the security of his tower whilst he was sleeping and focusses on the thought that someone has given him the flowers of _love_.

Hux doesn’t recall anyone ever giving him a gift, and certainly not one so meaningful.

Yet as the next few days pass, more and more gifts appear on his balcony each morning. After the roses comes a fresh loaf of bread, baked to a perfect and golden crispness that Hux can’t help but let out a quiet moan when he samples a small slice on the morning it arrives. Next comes a new set of tools for his vegetable garden, shining and sharp, all with brightly coloured green handles and red bows tied around each of them.

When Hux goes outside later that afternoon, he walks around the very edge of his little meadow, looking as best as he can through the thick trees and vines just to see if there’s anyone lurking, but he finds nothing. There’s nothing to see in the enchanted forest, just more trees and plants, so Hux turns and walks away, concluding that he doesn’t have a stalker on his hands, just an _interested party._

He tends to his vegetable garden with a smile on his face, new tools working in overdrive to turn the soil over and pick some of the potatoes out, elated that _someone_ is taking notice of him in a way that _no one_ ever has before.

Even as Hux is going to sleep that night, he finds himself excited to see what his admirer is going to leave him tomorrow, and as soon as he wakes, he’s leaping out of his bed, leaving his sheets in disarray and rushing past his closed curtains to find his new gift on the balcony. It’s a little drawstring bag of bath salts, purple in colour, and it only takes Hux one sniff of the bag to discover that they’re lavender; the scent that relaxes him most.

But the fourth gift is what makes Hux decide that he _must_ find out who his visitor is.

As has become his new routine, Hux is alert as soon as he wakes, desperate to see if there waits another goodie for him, and he’s pleased to see that there is. It’s a book; brown and leather-bound. Gold embellishments decorate the cover: a square around the edge and even the bottoms and sides of the pages are a beautiful golden colour. There’s no writing on the cover but as soon as Hux opens it and turns onto the first page, he knows precisely what book it is.

It’s the only thing that he begged Brendol not to take from him when he took his freedom, yet the old alpha hadn’t listened and stolen it away regardless, burnt it too, most likely. It’s the book his mother read to him when he was a boy, before she died. It’s a story about a young princeling finding friendship in a dragon when he finds himself lost in the woods one late summer’s night, and young Hux had always found it comforting that even a lone boy like the prince in the book could find a friend in the most unlikely of places; in a beast that the rest of the town saw as a monster.

And his admirer _knows_ its importance to Hux. _How?_

Hugging the book to his chest, feeling warm like he’s hugging his mother, Hux decides that he isn’t going to sleep tonight. He’ll take a nap this afternoon and conduct a nightwatch. Stealth was one of the key things he was complimented for during his training—before he was taken off his father’s programme for soldiers and thrown into this prison—likely because of his lithe frame and ability to be weightless on his feet.

So that’s precisely what he does.

His evening runs as planned, having a small dinner and washing to get ready for bed, drawing his curtains and blowing out the candles, but instead of actually dressing in his sleep trousers, Hux grabs his darkest clothes and goes to walk down the stairway to the bottom of his tower but stops when he realises he should _probably_ take a weapon with him. Only upon exploration of his two rooms does he realise that the only weapon he could possibly take with him would be his bread knife, and he wouldn’t like to seriously maim his potential admirer. Instead, after scouring his kitchen, he decides that his frying pan will have to do to defend himself should anything happen. Hux gives it a few swings in practice and smiles. It’ll have to do.

With the sun now set, Hux uses the cover of darkness to sneak down the spiral stairway and hide behind his tower, remaining as vigilant as he can, unknowing of which direction the intruder could come from, though he clutches his frying pan tightly.

If his visitor _is_ an alpha, then their _biology_ could mean problems for omega Hux. 

Darkness covers the tower. The cold settles in quickly as the hours pass by and Hux stays quiet and hidden, though he doesn’t quite know how much time has passed. He leans against the cold brick of his tower, pulling his cape further around his shoulders to try his best to keep what little warmth he has left but the night air is unforgiving. He’s cold, tiredness is looming, and his visitor doesn’t seem to be coming. The crescent moon in the midnight sky does little to light Hux’s field of vision but his eyes have adjusted enough to the darkness for him to make out the figure that’s looming on the opposite side of his little meadow.

Alert suddenly, Hux’s stomach twists. Someone is here.

He stands up when he hears the faint sound of a horse whinny and a subsequent hushing, and he peers out from around his tower to see a hooded figure stepping up to the barrier of trees and without hesitation, he walks in, unscathed.

Hux’s jaw drops. This is no man, surely. No alpha, beta or omega can step through the invisible enchantment, and no mortal is exempt from the biological rules of humankind. Yet, he watches as the figure takes quiet yet long strides across the meadow, cape billowing around him in the cold, night wind. Hux catches a quick look of pale skin underneath the hood before he retreats and hides, covering his mouth with his palm in an attempt to quieten his panicked breaths. The sound of the intruder’s footsteps get closer and closer, and Hux finds himself _holding_ his breath, forgetting all about how this is _potentially_ the being who’s been leaving him gifts and focuses more on the fact that the safety of his tower has been compromised—by a _beast_ no less, not even a _man._

The figure halts at the foot of Hux’s tower, just underneath the balcony, shadowed in its overhang, but close enough for Hux to get a small glimpse of its face as he leans very gently out from his hiding spot. The hood sits low on their brow but Hux can see their plump lips and their nose, freckles and moles dotted about on their pale cheeks, and Hux cocks his head, enchanted by what little of their face he can see. There’s a satchel sitting on their shoulder that they reach into after looking around and, obviously content that there’s no one to see them, they pull out a little bag filled with a dark, crumbled bits that look like tea leaves to Hux’s quick glance but the bag is tied with the same red string as the roses were.

Coincidences such as this do not exist, Hux thinks.

He keeps on watching as best as he can without revealing himself, staring at the figure’s every movement. They pull one of their black gloves off carefully, revealing a pale hand, but Hux can’t help but take a shocked intake of air when he sees a strange, red aura around their fingers.

It’s a faint glow, red like blood, which moves like a thick fog around the figure’s hand, encompassing it. The wind that, only seconds ago, was chilling Hux’s skin through his clothing is silenced, and the entire forest seems to follow suit, and then, before Hux’s very eyes, the bag in the figure’s hand _levitates_. It’s encircled by the same red glow of their hand and begins to move upwards as though being pulled up by an invisible string but it’s the figure’s power.

Magic, Hux realises, heart thrumming wildly. This is the type of magic that he’s only read about in his books, the type that he’s been taught to be wary of and to be afraid of. This intruder is a sorcerer, or _sorceress;_ using their prowess to bestow gifts upon the lonely omega in the woods. Hux can barely believe what he’s seeing. The little bag levitates with such elegance that Hux feels almost hypnotised watching it, looking from the enchanted item and back to the hooded figure, wishing to see the face underneath the hood.

The bag settles down gentle on the balcony’s edge, just where all the other gifts have been placed, and it’s enough evidence for Hux to be _certain_ that this being is the one who’s been courting him from afar.

Hux can’t wait a moment longer to finally rid himself of his loneliness.

“Careful, stranger,” Hux says, stepping out from his hiding place behind the tower.

The figure is visibly startled by Hux’s voice, taking staggered steps backwards, and Hux even stretches his hand out as though to help catch them if they fall, though he very much doubts that he’d be able to support their weight. The intruder turns on their heels, suddenly, and makes a dash for the trees, cape swishing out behind them, and Hux panics.

“ _Wait!”_ Hux calls out, following blindly. “Don’t leave! You’re the first being I’ve met for _years_! Just stay a while. Please.”

The wind picks up again when the intruder stops, their heavy boots having made indents in the grass that Hux finds himself stepping in to get closer, still reaching out. Even _without_ the gifts, Hux would leap at the chance to have some sort of companion, someone to share his limited _unmated_ time with before his father sells him off. But with the wind now blowing in Hux’s direction, he blinks, picking up the intruder’s scent for the first time.

They’re an _alpha._ Strong, _feared,_ yet Hux doesn’t feel afraid. The intruder smells like ash, like the remnants of a blazing fire, accompanied with an earthy scent that feels familiar to Hux, having spent a long time in these forests. Do they intent to _mate_ with Hux? Did they smell him in the midst of the trees and _overcome_ the enchanted circle because of their desire to breed? Hux isn’t sure, but what he _is_ sure of, is that he _must_ find out who this person is before they disappear.  

The figure turns slowly, their fingers flexing nervously into fists. Hux can’t stop staring at their lips, the only part of skin that he can see, but he’s got a better view of his clothing now. Dressed head-to-toe in black, the intruder almost blends in with the surrounding darkness.

“You have a frying pan,” they say. Their voice is deep, almost gruff, and it sends a ripple of excitement across Hux’s skin. _Male,_ most likely.

“Hmm? _Oh_. Uh, yes. Just in case my intruder tried to attack me.” Hux holds up his supposed weapon, turning the pan around in his palm before tossing it aside. “You’re the one who’s been leaving the gifts for me.”

The figure nods. Their hood doesn’t slip, much to Hux’s dislike.

“Thank you, I suppose,” Hux says. “You’re the first being to _ever_ give me something that’s made me happy. Doesn’t that, on its own, mean that you can’t just run away from me?”

They shrug.

Hux flicks his eyes up, “Can I at least know your name? Can you _at least_ take off your hood so I may see the face of my generous patron?”

Hux imagines deep eyes staring at him as the intruder obviously contemplates Hux’s questions. With one hand gloved and the other one bare, they raise their hands and lift the hood up and away from their face, stepping closer to Hux at the same time, out of the shadows of the trees and into the moonlight.

_Yes, a male. A male alpha._

Full, dark hair—softly waved as though it’s been wet and dried naturally in the forest air—falls around his pale face and frames it almost elegantly. The freckles and moles that Hux could previously see around his nose dot up to his forehead too, reminding Hux of the constellations that he’s stared at every night before sleep. But it’s his eyes that Hux can’t _stop_ himself from looking at. They seem to be sparkling, though Hux can’t decide whether they’re amber or brown, but regardless of colour, they’re the most beautiful eyes that Hux has ever seen.

“I’m…Kylo,” he says, out of the shadows and into the moonlight. “Ren.”

“Armitage Hux,” Hux holds his hand out. “But heavens, call me ‘ _Hux’._ My first name repulses me.”

Kylo smiles at that, taking hold of Hux’s hand in a surprisingly soft grip to shake, the only greeting that, besides saluting, that Hux thought to do.

“ _Hux_ ,” Kylo says, as though testing the feel of his name on his tongue. Hux likes how it sounds.

“Kylo Ren,” Hux repeats. Their handshake ends and their hands part, though Hux still feels his palm tingling. “So. Sorcerer or deity?”

“Apprentice to a sorcerer,” Kylo says, smiling. “I’ll surpass my tutor one day, I’m sure of it.”

“And you’re an alpha.”

“Yes. And you’re an omega.”

It’s certainly not the first time that an alpha has identified his biology by his scent but it’s _definitely_ the first time that he hasn’t been unnerved by it. Hux shivers, refusing to think of the way his fellow alpha soldiers had looked at him when he’s gone into his very first heat in their barracks.

“I am, which is why I’m trapped in here. But what I want to know is how you found me and how you managed to pass through the enchantment around my tower without being burned by its magic?”

Kylo frowns, and cocks his head.

“ _What enchantment?”_

If Hux weren’t so excited at having a _handsome_ admirer, his jaw would have hit the ground. He _remembers_ the feeling of the rash burning his skin like _real_ fire when he’d been desperate enough to attempt an escape from his tower, and Brendol has assured him that the sorcerer who created it ensured that the _only_ being exempt to the spell would be Brendol himself.

Yet, Kylo stands tall and unscathed in front of him.

“I _do_ believe that it’s _tea_ that you’ve left on my balcony this evening,” Hux says, turning to look up to where he can see the faint silhouette of a little bag on the edge of his balcony. “It’s getting frightfully chilly out here too. Would you care to come inside and have some tea?”

“I…” Kylo turns, looking back through the thick trees for a second before turning back to Hux. “I’d love to.”

//////////////

As soon as the pair reach the top of the tower, Hux sets about lighting candles across his main chamber, the candelabras on the walls giving them the most light but he dots a small few here and there for extra light. He sets about preparing the tea whilst Kylo has a slow wander around the room, looking at everything, taking in the copious amount of books that sit on the dozens of shelves.

Hux looks up from the boiling pan of water to where Kylo stands with his back to him across the room, brushing his fingers against the spines of the books. With his cape now gone and hung on Hux’s coat stand, Hux can see the true size of Kylo’s body. His shoulders are wide, as are his hips, but he doesn’t move in the way Hux would have _thought_ a hulking alpha would. Kylo shoulders almost hunch in as he walks as though trying to shrink in on himself, oddly.

“You like books,” Kylo says, and his voice pulls Hux from his thoughts about the alpha’s body.

“I do. It’s the only way to pass the time, really. Though, I’m sure you know more about me than I think. You gave me a book, after all.”

Kylo hums in agreement but says nothing else, turning to sit down on Hux’s couch when he brings the tea over, thanking him when he takes it. Hux hesitates when he goes to sit down, choosing to perch on the nearby stool rather than sit beside Kylo, fearing that even an accidental touch from _this_ breath-taking alpha would be enough to override his potion and send him into heat.

“You said something about an enchantment around your tower,” Kylo says. “But I’ve never felt anything from the day I first found you.”

“How _did_ you find me?” Hux asks. “The spell is meant to deter anyone away from this location.”

Kylo stifles a laugh, showing his teeth. A crooked smile that makes Hux’s stomach twist.

“And yet I was drawn to you.”

Hux looks down, blushing. He’s partially annoyed by his own actions; he’s been repulsed by alphas since he first presented, disgusted by his father’s quest to find him a mate. But there’s something _so different_ about Kylo that makes Hux _want_ him to stay, something that makes Hux want to find out everything about him.

“I train in the forests,” Kylo continues, looking down into his tea. “My Master gives me tasks to complete and it often requires me to isolate myself and concentrate. The _supposedly_ forbidden _enchanted forest_ seemed like the perfect place to work alone. To practise spells. ”

“Spells?”

“Hexes, witchery.” Kylo opens his free palm and the same red glow that hypnotised Hux before is there again, pooling in his hand and floating around his fingers like a real entity. “Magic isn’t the same for each user. They feel it differently. Some of us with rawer power need extra training to control it, otherwise we risk destroying ourselves.”

“Intriguing,” Hux says, fascinated by Kylo’s words. “I’ve only read about such things in my books and believed it to be unnecessary and nonsense, really—”

One of the roses from the vase on his table suddenly levitates past him, engulfed in the same glow that blooms in Kylo’s palm, gliding slowly towards the sorcerer’s hand.

“It’s not nonsense,” Kylo says, looking at the rose’s petals before floating it back in Hux’s direction. “And magic-users have shaped many of the outcomes of this world for centuries. My grandfather was one of those sorcerers.”

“Do tell, Ren,” Hux smiles, taking the rose back.

“Vader.”

Hux chokes on his mouthful of tea, _“The_ Vader? Emperor Palpatine’s accomplice? His _attack dog?_ Assassin?”

“Indeed,” Kylo looks proud at Hux’s list. “His blood is in my veins. His power is now my power. And it’s why I’m going to surpass my Master. I’m destined for more than this, I can feel it. I’m trapped.”

Hux has never felt a connection with someone like this before. It’s like Kylo is cut from the same stars as he is, the same grand destiny to _be_ something but having to _conform_ and feeling trapped with no escape.

“Believe me,” Hux says, leaning forward slightly. “I know what that feels like.”

Kylo glances up and blinks though his long eyelashes, his eyes looking a little red-rimmed, though Hux can somehow tell that it’s anger and not sadness that’s welling in Kylo’s chest.

“Tell me more about this _enchantment_ ,” Kylo says, composing himself. “The thing that is keeping you here.”

“My father believed that I was going to be an alpha like him,” Hux begins, sitting back again. “You can imagine his surprise and utter _disgust_ when I presented as an omega. He tells me that it’s my duty to be wed to a wealthy alpha to bring honour back to his name, since I have tainted it with my weakness. I was locked in the cold cellar of our home for months whilst he made preparations for me. I was in heat for the first week, alone, before he escorted me to this tower in the dead of night one evening. He told me that he’d visited a sorcerer and paid them to cast a spell around this tower. Keep the shameful omega _in,_ keep everyone else _out._ ”

The red glow in Kylo’s palm seems to be moving quicker, looking a little thicker than it did just a moment ago. Hux looks at Kylo’s hand, then up to his face, seeing his lips twisting into a scowl.

“Your father is vermin,” Kylo spits.

“It’s nothing that I don’t already know. He was vermin _before_ I presented as an omega, he just felt _justified_ in his treatment of me once my biology became known. This tower has been my home since.”

“I didn’t know you were an omega until I met you tonight,” Kylo says, which only reassures Hux that this _alpha_ isn’t just here to breed him and leave. “I came looking for somewhere quiet to train after I was cast out from my Master’s residence for the day after one of my practices failed. I found this forest but I couldn’t begin my training. My magic was pulling me somewhere, to this clearing. And that’s when I saw you for the first time.”

Kylo moves slowly, leaving his place on the couch to stand up, waving his hand until the scene around them changes from the walls of Hux’s tower to as though they’re standing in the dark forest, looking out of the line of trees and into the clearing of Hux’s home. Hux gasps and reflexively spreads his arms out, afraid of what he doesn’t understand—a side thought comes to him; that he’s more akin to this father than he realises. 

“Ren? How in the _seven hells_ are you doing this?”

“You’re seeing what I saw on that day, five days ago,” Kylo circles around Hux, coming to stand beside him, both looking at the _past Hux,_ sitting on the grass and reading his book before Brendol’s visit. “Your hair looked like a fiery crown atop your head. Your beauty, your _strength,_ I knew something was different. Regardless of your biology, I knew I had to begin courting you.”

“Courting…? Those gifts—” Hux struggles to take it all in. Going from being completely lonely to having a secret admirer to having an _alpha-sorcerer-Vader’s grandson courting him_ is a rollercoaster of a few days. “Why didn’t you just _come_ to me? ”

“I didn’t know why you were there. I didn’t know who you were. You could have been mated,” Kylo says, and Hux glances over to him to see him staring intensely at the other Hux, his eyes soft and longing. “Or rabid.”

“ _Rabid?”_ Hux laughs, giving Kylo a pretend punch in the arm, sending Kylo into a chuckle too and the scene around them dissipates like a fog, sending them back into the main living chamber of Hux’s tower.

They stand staring at each other for a few silent seconds, gazes locked, before Hux _remembers._

“But the more pressing matter, Ren, is why _you_ were able to get past the enchantment without being burned.”

“ _Burned?_ ” Kylo sounds shocked.

“Yes. I’ve attempted to break through _twice_ and broken out in a rash that feels like fire on my skin. No amount of bathing in my river eased the pain.”

Hux presents his left arm to Kylo, pointing to where a few scars remain from his stern scratching. Kylo’s fingertips glide along Hux’s arm, and Hux finds himself wanting to suppress a moan at the contact. It’s electric, it’s soft, it’s _fucking_ everything he’s been hating since he was imprisoned here. He _hates_ alphas, he _hates_ magic-users, yet he wants to wrap his arms around Kylo and beg him to stay with him until time ends. Or at least until the enchanted circle dies.

“My magic,” Kylo says suddenly, eyes wide and nodding. “Maybe my powers are stronger than the spell. I can pass through. I’m immune.”

It’s the most logical thing Hux can think too—whether anything _can_ be logical when a sorcerer is involved is another matter, he thinks. There must be a way for him to break through, there must be. Kylo has proved that it can be done. Hux’s idle hope remains strong.

“I don’t know why I was the one who found you, Hux,” Kylo says. He runs his fingers down Hux’s arm to his hand, turning it over to trace over the lines in his palm. “But I can feel something awakening.”

“So can I, Ren,” Hux agrees. “And I’m not afraid.”

The night passes by quickly and without burden, and both stay awake until the dawn. They talk, they laugh and they share what’s left of the homemade bread that Kylo brought Hux a few days ago, spreading it with some of the jam that Hux has spare. Kylo talks little about his family, Hux talks all about his mother. Dreams, fears, jokes and their own lives; the pair cover all grounds until the morning sun greets them warmly, and Hux yawns.

“I should go. My Master will question me if I don’t return by mid-morning,” Kylo fails to hide the disappointment in his voice, and Hux fails to hide it from his expression.

“Of course, yes,” Hux replies, fetching Kylo’s cape for him, resisting the urge to inhale the alpha’s lingering scent on it. “Will I…I mean, will I see you again?”

Kylo throws his cape around his shoulders and fastens it, and with it on, Hux can’t help but mentally compare his image to Vader. A tall and strong figure, a billowing cape to add to his threatening aura and a dark power that transcends the world that Hux has known.

He wonders if Kylo’s past is just as tragic as Vader’s.

“If that is what you wish,” Kylo smiles. “Yes. I’ll return to you. Does that mean that you accept my…my courting?”

“Yes. _Yes,_ I do.”

Kylo’s blush is beautiful, resting high on his pale cheeks as he takes Hux’s hand and gives his knuckles a farewell kiss, but it isn’t enough for Hux. Once the alpha rises from his bow, Hux gives him a soft kiss on the cheek, lingering for no more than a second or two, but enough to make him feel like he’s atop the world and ready to conquer.

“Until tomorrow evening, Hux,” Kylo says.

“I look forward to it, Ren,” Hux replies, _beaming._

Whilst Kylo descends the steps of the tower, Hux stays on his balcony, watching his newfound companion walk across the short distance to the dense forest, but not before looking back and raising his hand in a wave. Gazing back, Hux copies, leaving his hand up for a moment after Kylo has disappeared into the trees, and he’s alone again. Yet, this time, Hux finds that his loneliness doesn’t feel cold. He practically skips back into his home, tidying his and Kylo’s cups away and straightening the cushions on the couch, not giving a thought to anything but how happy he feels because of Kylo. He doesn’t worry about his lack of sleep, he doesn’t worry about his father—

 _Fuck._ Brendol, and his search to find his son an alpha mate.

Hux lowers himself down onto the couch, thinking and trying not to panic. Brendol’s visiting schedule is the same each week; predicting when he’s going to visit and informing Kylo to stay away won’t be difficult. But Kylo’s scent is _already_ on the couch, lingering on its fabric, and the gifts may be _difficult_ to explain if they were to be found by Brendol.

No, Hux thinks. He won’t allow his father to ruin the _best_ thing he’s ever had, the thing he may have only had for the better part of five days but, regardless; Hux didn’t think it were possible to feel so _happy._

Lulled into a calm state by Kylo’s settled scent, Hux lies down on the sofa, pulling the spare blanket over himself and drifts off into a peaceful sleep, dreaming of amber eyes, a warm voice and a future away from this prison.


	3. Chapter 3

The following days bring a warmer wind to the forest around the tower and, with that, comes Hux’s eagerness to be out in the warmth rather than cooped up inside.

He wakes as usual with the morning sun greeting him with shining beams through his curtains but he forgoes his usual chores to rush to bathe himself using the lavender bath salts gifted to him by Kylo, dress himself and prepare for Kylo’s visit. It’s become his new routine to revolve his day around Kylo, choosing to forget all about his father’s overbearing rules about cleanliness to spend more time with the man—the alpha—who’s been kinder to him in the few days that they’ve known each other than any other being Hux has known in his life.

Using one of the hand-woven baskets brought for him by Brendol, Hux packs it full of food and tucks a blanket in, settling two tea cups atop it before grabbing his favourite book and descending down the winding steps to the meadow, happy to feel the dry but soft grass underneath his toes. He arranges everything quickly, setting the blanket down on the ground and arranging himself on it to look as appealing as possible, rather than a mere omega who lives in these dark—and possibly, dirty—woods. He brushes his clothes and ruffles his hair, hoping that the dampness to his hair after his morning bath dries quickly, wanting every inch of his appearance to be perfect for Kylo.

A little while longer than Hux expected but nonetheless, it isn’t long before the familiar sounds of horse hooves padding along the forest floor catches Hux’s attention and he sits up, glancing along the line of surrounding trees to pinpoint the sound. He can’t help but stand up when he sees Kylo’s dark figure emerge into the meadow, his dark robes fluttering around him in the warm, morning breeze. He’s radiant, he’s _beautiful,_ and he’s dashing towards Hux with his arms slowly opening to take Hux into his embrace.

“I’m late,” Kylo says, nose pressing into Hux’s neck. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’re here, like you promised.”

Having the alpha’s strong arms surround him has become the focus of Hux’s thoughts as of late. Something about being wrapped up in Kylo’s hold, safe and warm, in the middle of a place where he’s so trapped and cold makes Hux’s innards tingle, making him almost certain that Kylo is just as important to him as _air._ And just a few days ago, in Brendol’s presence, Hux was _defiant_ that he wants to remain unmated; that it’s nothing but pointless to daydream of ever _meeting_ another being that interested him, regardless of falling in love with someone. But as he stands here, in the middle of his meadow, surrounded by the wicked spell that keeps him trapped but encased by Kylo’s hold, Hux feels a shadow of his former self.

“Sit,” Hux says, breaking the hug and giving Kylo a quick kiss on the cheek. “You look a little tired.”

Kylo nods in thanks and does as the omega wishes, sitting down on the patchwork blanket with his legs crossed.

“I brought the tea.” Kylo reaches into his satchel and pulls out a _bull’s horn,_ fitted with a leather strap and a cap at the top.

“ _Ren,”_ Hux’s jaw drops. “You’ve put hot _tea_ in an antique drinking horn.”

“I didn’t have any other container,” Kylo says, taking the cap off and using his powers to levitate the two tea cups over to him. “This is what I’d usually use to bring water out with me into the forest. My Master would have questioned me if he caught me leaving our refuge with a copper flask, more so than he already did.”

Hux watches in awe as the magical red glow of Kylo’s magic takes hold of the horn and pours the red liquid into the cups, all the while Kylo keeps his focus on Hux’s reaction.

“I can’t even begin to understand your powers,” Hux says, taking one of the cups from the air and blowing on it. “I thought I understood a little of it before, from what I’ve read in books, but seeing it in front of me has made me realise that I can’t comprehend it.”

“Most can’t. That’s why most of my kind are hidden. People are afraid of what they can’t understand,” Kylo says. “They’re afraid of monsters.”

“Monsters,” Hux repeats. “You’d call _yourself_ a monster?”

Kylo takes a tea cup, holding it in both hands as though trying to warm himself. “Yes.”

Hux falls silent for a moment, stewing in Kylo’s words.

“It’s a good thing I’ve had a lot of dealings with monsters, then.” Hux says, finally, and raises his eyebrows, taking a sip from the tea, unphased, though the expression on Kylo’s face tells him that _he_ is a little confused. “You’re aware of who my father is.”

“ _Ah_ ,” Kylo realises. “ _Brendol Hux._ You’ve told me. Your father. Retired military General.”

“And the proverbial monster underneath my bed since I was a child,” Hux nods, lifting his chin to the wind for a moment before casting his gaze back down, refusing to relive his childhood any more than he has to. “So you’ll forgive me if I seem unafraid of you and your monstrous ways.”

But to Hux’s surprise, Kylo doesn’t react in the typically-assertive way that he’d expect an alpha to in a situation where an _omega_ has expressed their fearlessness. Instead, Kylo shuffles across the blanket, setting his tea down, until they’re hip-to-hip and slides his arm around Hux’s lower back, bringing them as close as possible. Hux’s breath catches in his throat when Kylo leans in, his brown eyes sparkling, though Hux isn’t sure whether the sparkle is from the tears that are brimming.

“You’re the first soul I’ve met who isn’t afraid of me,” Kylo says quietly, resting his forehead against Hux’s, closing his eyes. _“Thank you.”_

A surge of emotion wells up inside of Hux’s chest and it summons all of his boldness forward, enough to give him the confidence to lean in and share his first kiss with Kylo; his first kiss _ever._ His lips part in a breathless gasp, uncoordinatedly moving against Kylo’s, as both chase the fleeting crest of the kiss but hesitantly so as though wanting this moment to be _perfect._

But Hux’s inexperience makes their kiss more _sloppy_ than _seamless_.

They break away, breathing heavily, leaving their foreheads together.

“That was your first kiss,” Kylo says with a smile, a chuckle in his tone.

“Was it _that_ bad?” Hux pulls away completely, fearing that his cheeks have blushed the same colour as his hair.

“Not _bad._ Just…messy,” he wipes his lips with the back of his hand and smiles, as it’s as though the glorious rays of the sun are shining in his eyes, though it fades as his expression drops. “Sincerely, though, Hux. You’re not scared of me—”

“I know what it’s like to be _presumed_ to be something that you’re not,” Hux says. “I know what it’s like to have people look at you and talk as if you can’t hear what horrid things they’re saying. For them to look at you as if you’re an outsider, for them to back away and turn their nose up at you. I shouldn’t imagine that it’s been the same for you—you, a sorcerer and I, an omega— but I understand, Ren. I promise, I understand.”

It’s Kylo that initiates the kiss this time, pushing his lips against Hux’s and pulling him back until they’re both lying on the blanket with the late-morning sun, warmed more by each other than its rays. Their lips do not part, moving against each other with a soft rhythm—with Kylo doing most of the leading—and Hux feels every part of himself tingling with excitement, though he’s sure the skin of his cheeks tickles because of Kylo’s fallen hair brushing against him. He lifts his hand to comb his fingers through the alpha’s hair, smoothing it back and moving his fingers against Kylo’s head, earning a gentle sigh from him in response.

Once their kiss breaks and they cuddle for a few moments, Hux sits up and begins unpacking the bits of food from his basket, handing a thick slice of bread to Kylo and popping open a little jar of raspberry jam. They eat until their bellies are full with the delicious foods that were all gifts from Kylo—Hux doesn’t recall ever having tasted such heavenly and richly-tasting foods—and find themselves in each other’s arms once more.

Hux reclines back against Kylo’s chest, settling his head underneath Kylo’s chin and picks up the book that he’d brought down with him, wiping his fingers on his trousers to make sure he doesn’t dirty its pages with his stickiness from the jam, seeing as it’s his favourite book.

“My mother must’ve read this to me at least two dozen times,” Hux says, brushing his fingers across the brown-leather cover before opening it to the first page. “It was my favourite. My father—”

“—Took it and burned it, along with the rest of your mother’s belongings when she passed away. I know, Hux,” Kylo says, pressing his lips to the soft top of Hux’s head.

“How can you _possibly_ know that, Ren? I was just a child when she passed.”

Kylo is quiet for a long moment before he speaks again, and Hux can almost feel the alpha’s apprehension.

“I can see people’s dreams,” he says. “And I saw yours, dreaming of your mother and that book before the soft sound of her voice changes into screams surrounded by fire, your father at the centre, laughing and holding that book. _‘The Princeling’s Dragon.’_ ”

Hux closes the book, setting it down on his lap. “You’re a dream-eater.”

“No,” Kylo laughs. “They’re supernatural creatures. They don’t exist. My kind can influence what people see in their minds, their dreams. Alter their visions. Stories of our... _interferences_ …have been skewed over time, warping us into beast-like, _so-called_ dream eaters.”

“You’re making it sound like every _mythical_ creature with some sort of _mythical_ power are merely twisted stories of the magic of sorcerers.”

Kylo hums, chuckling. “It would seem so.”

“Fascinating,” Hux says, thinking about the dozens of books that he’s read about all sorts of powerful and magical creatures, and wonders if any of them are actually real. “I imagine being the grandson of Vader himself, you and your family would know all about what’s real and what isn’t.”

But the air around them changes, suddenly. Hux tries not to shiver as the wind seemingly grows a little colder, a little harsher, and the sun seemingly disappears behind clouds.

“My family,” Kylo huffs, voice deeper than it was only seconds ago, “Don’t understand Vader. They don’t understand _me_ or my power.”

Hux sits up properly, shuffling and turning to face Kylo, surprised when he doesn’t find anger in Kylo’s eyes, but sadness instead.

“Your mother must understand,” Hux says. “Or your father, depending on which was Vader’s offspring.”

“My mother is Vader’s daughter, my uncle is his son. Both have his gifts, as I do.”

“Then they should both understand you, should they not? If they have the same incredible magic as you, Ren.”

“My mother was much too busy in the palace to burden herself with me. My father knew nothing of magic. He tried to soften me, distract me from my powers by turning me into a version of himself, as though he was afraid of my true self, so I—”

It’s then that Kylo visibly falters, his words falling away into silence. His shoulders twitch as though he’s trying to hold back sobs that’ll release a sadness that’s deep-rooted in his soul.

“It’s alright, Kylo,” Hux says softly, reaching forward to take hold of Kylo’s hand. “Keep going.”

“I…I thought my uncle understood, I thought he could help me, but I soon became _nothing_ more than a shadow once he bore his own child. He’s an omega, like you. He keeps the identity of the father to his daughter a secret from all, but it is irrelevant. Her magic is already stronger than mine. That’s why I fled my mother’s kingdom. My Master found me as I lay tired and hungry in the woods. He took me in, promised to train me, awaken Vader’s power that lay dormant in my veins, and return home on day to take what is mine; the crown that was once the Emperor’s, the place where Vader was meant to be. _That_ is my destiny.”

It’s as though darkness and grief fused a created a man, Hux thinks as he cocks his head and studies Kylo’s face as he talks. His entire being seems to be interlaced with nothing but pain and sorrow, a boy masquerading as a man, frightened and lost in the shadows of ancestors.

 _Lost, alone._ Hux loses himself in his own feelings for a moment, recalling his darkest nights sat on his own in his tower, surrounded by nothingness.

“Would you read aloud to me?” Kylo’s soft voice breaks Hux’s thoughts, bringing him back to the present. “I like listening to you read.”

“When have you heard me read?”

“In your mind’s voice, at night, before you go to sleep,” Kylo replies, and Hux feels him rubs his cheek against the top of his head.

“My mind voice,” Hux states. “I suppose you’re going to tell me that you read minds now, too.”

“Only when I concentrate and focus on it. But yours, somehow, is louder than everyone else’s.”

“Maybe it’s because I have a lot to think about.”

“Or,” Kylo says, sliding his hand down Hux’s shoulder and arm, setting a weak grip on his wrist and rubbing his thumb across the bone, and the omega inside Hux _jolts._ “Maybe it’s because I was meant to find you.”

Hux smiles and shifts around, melting back into Kylo’s chest, wishing he could disappear inside of him and be carried out of here, past the ring of fire around his tower and out into the world to be free and to be with Kylo; the two things that Hux craves most.

Doing as Kylo wishes, Hux opens the book and begins reading.

////////////////////

The rest of the day passes quickly, much too quickly for Hux’s liking, and it isn’t long before he’s standing beside Kylo at the line of trees as the sun descends behind them, leaving it to the fireflies to light the meadow around them.

Hux is wrapped in Kylo’s arms, his own arms around Kylo’s waist, cheek resting on the alpha’s shoulder, neither wanting to part.

“You could stay,” Hux says. “Just for tonight. Wake up together, I’ll make you breakfast—”

“I can’t, Hux. My Master would notice that I’m missing. He’d know that I’m not training.”

Hux’s excitement deflates rapidly. “Yes. Of-of course, I’m sorry for suggesting it.”

But before Hux can fully pull away from their embrace, embarrassed by his own eagerness, Kylo pulls him in for a quick kiss before nudging his way to the underside of Hux’s jaw, kissing along the bone. Butterflies fill Hux’s belly; Kylo is experimenting with scenting. The scent glands in his neck are pulsing hotly as Kylo’s lips tease around them, kissing everywhere but _there._

__

“Kylo,” Hux moans, craning his neck upwards and letting his eyes drift close.

It’s the opening of the floodgates. Kylo’s nose delves deep into the crook of Hux’s neck, inhales, and Hux feels his knees tremble, lucky that Kylo’s hand is resting on his hip to keep him upright. Kissing is intimate enough but for an alpha, being allowed to _touch_ an omega’s scent glands is an honour that not many experience but from Kylo’s gentleness, Hux suspects that Kylo knows exactly what this means for them.

“I’ll be back tomorrow. I promise, Hux,” Kylo whispers, breath hot and heavy against the softest part of Hux’s neck.

“I’ll wait,” comes Hux’s quick reply, “For as long as I have to.”

Kylo’s lips curve into a smile and Hux feels it against his skin before the touch is gone, and the omega is suppressing a shiver at the loss. With no more words exchanged, only a longing glance, the pair part ways. Kylo, without so much as flinching as he bypasses the tower’s imprisonment charm, looks back over his shoulder once he’s out into the forest, smiling and raising his hand in a goodbye like he always does, warming Hux’s heart that they already have a routine in place.

He watches Kylo whistle for his horse, and the animal comes trotting to his master quickly, nickering as he walks. The horse is black, its mane just as dark as the night sky, with a red bridle and saddle adorning his strong body. It approaches Kylo with a nodding head, knocking its nose against his shoulder, looking for a pet. Kylo smiles and gives his steed what he wants, reaching into the saddle bag to pull out an apple.

“Silencer,” Kylo says, aimed at Hux, his voice raised slightly.

“What?” Hux frowns.

“His name,” Kylo climbs up into the saddle, grabbing the reins. “It’s Silencer.”

Hux nods, smiling. _“_ Of course it is.”

A grin from Kylo and a whinny from Silencer, and the pair gallop off across the enchanted forest, and the sounds of complete quiet return to Hux’s tower. The loneliness seems louder than ever tonight but so does the excitement that’s pounding through his chest. As Hux turns and begins packing up his blanket and teacups into his basket, it’s as though he can still feel Kylo’s lips against his neck, still sending tingles across the entirety of his skin.

Hux trudges up the steps of his tower and sets the basket down with the silent promise that he’ll tidy it all away in the morning, craving his bed, but wholeheartedly wishing that Kylo was already in it and waiting for Hux to join him.

The thought of sex makes his stomach churn—he knows he isn’t ready for that _just_ yet—but he so desperately wishes that he wasn’t crawling into an empty bed, wanting Kylo to be there beside him, to hold him when the night gets too cold and to be there _together_ to start the day.

As soon as Hux’s head hits the pillow, his dreams come alive with images of his darling alpha, hoping that, wherever Kylo may be, he can see his dreams with the aid of his magical powers and know that he’s _happy—_ and it’s all because of Kylo.

Hux sleeps right through the night, undisturbed, and he wakes feeling refreshed and warm. The silence around him in his bedchamber doesn’t feel so heavy anymore, he thinks as he pulls the piece of rope beside his bed and opens the roof’s curtains, smiling when he sees that it’s another beautiful day, perfect weather for spending time outdoors.

Kicking off his blankets and getting out of bed with a spring in his step, Hux’s mind reels with ideas on what he and Kylo could do today. They’re limited within the small space of the tower but he’s sure that he can think of something. Perhaps they can wade in the little river or Hux can show Kylo his vegetable patch though Hux is certain that he could merely sit and listen to Kylo talk for hours and hours, memorising every inch of the alpha’s face and body, learning his mannerisms and learning _everything_ about his past.

He dresses quickly, adorning a beige shirt and dark brown trousers, shuffling into his small washroom to check his reflection in the dully-shining piece of hanging metal on the wall that acts as a mirror. He shaves carefully, ruffling his hair into place and making sure he hasn’t any of his breakfast stuck in his teeth. With their courting going so well, Hux couldn’t bear it if he were to upset their budding relationship because of his sloppiness.

Before he can dwell on his and Kylo’s possible future _mating,_ he hears the door at the bottom of the tower close and footsteps rising up the staircase towards him. Every fibre of Hux’s body trembles excitedly as he comes out of the washroom and stands facing the entrance to the stairwell, brushing down his clothes and absently wondering whether it may be a little overbearing of him to leap into Kylo’s arms—

But Hux’s world crashes down all too quickly.

_“Father?”_

“You look surprised to see me, Armitage,” Brendol quips. “It would be impossible for it to be anyone else. Heh. Have you not learned that by now?”

“N-no. I mean, yes, of course, but I—”

“Stop stammering, boy. Fetch me some tea.”

Hux hesitates, shaking on the spot, before his father throws his cape at him and he’s forced back to his senses. _Why_ is Brendol _here?_ It’s another day, and in the years that Hux has been trapped in this dreadful place, his father has never been early: late, certainly. Early? _Never._

Making boiling-hot tea with shaking hands is difficult but Hux manages it, standing rigidly in his kitchenette, panic coursing through him. Can Brendol not catch Kylo’s scent on his upholstery? Can he not see the little bit of weight that Hux has put on around his belly with all the delicious foods that Kylo has been gifting him? Can he not hear the surprise in Hux’s tone at seeing him? Hux is even jittery as he stands, terrified that Kylo is going to visit like he has been these last few days and bump _straight_ into Brendol, and everything will come tumbling down. It all points to something being _odd,_ but perhaps Brendol has grown denser in his old-alpha-age.

If Brendol notices the nervous shake to his hands as he gives the alpha his cup of tea, he does not comment.

“Sit,” Brendol commands, and Hux obeys, perching on the edge of stool whilst Brendol sits on the couch, leaning into the arm for a moment before inhaling hard, frowning. Hux’s stomach drops, knowing that the old alpha is sat exactly where Kylo has been sat, but Hux’s breath comes back to him when Brendol shrugs it off. “You must have realised that I bring excellent news with me, Armitage. Finally, my shame of you will be rectified. I have found a mate for you.”

‘ _No…!’_

Hux’s heart shatters. He’s sure that it stops beating for a moment before it starts up again, thrumming twice as fast as usual and threatening to render him senseless. He wants to scream, _shout_ at his father and reveal everything about the sorcerer who’s stolen his heart but instead, Hux focuses his energy on _breathing._

“It certainly was not easy,” Brendol says, voice hearty and full of excitement. “But I heard that this alpha had become available after their previous mating ended. Weslan Tarkin. The son of Grand General Tarkin himself.”

Wilhuff Tarkin served alongside Brendol Hux in the kingdom’s army, and all know of his ruthlessness. His son, no doubt, shares his father’s love of war and of bloodshed. Hux swallows hard.

‘ _Kylo, I’m so sorry.’_

Brendol continues, “His previous mate was a beta, though he tells me that he’s _very_ eager to meet an omega, and has even said that he wants you in heat as soon as possible to ensure that you bond properly and you bear his pups.”

Hux can’t help but clench his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palms in an attempt to stop the tears in his eyes from falling.

“But there is some bad news, I’m afraid, Armitage.”

Hux perks up. “What news?”

“Weslan, being one of the palace’s strongest and brightest warriors, has been sent on a scout mission and will be gone for another day. You will have to wait until tomorrow evening to meet your mate. Then, your new life can begin.”

Funny, Hux quietly scoffs, he was just thinking how his life has ended.

Brendol doesn’t even finish his tea. It’s gone much too cold to drink by the time he’s done talking about how great and how _proud_ he is of this alpha soldier having agreed to take his omega son out of his hands. He talks as though Hux isn’t there, but Hux supposes that he isn’t; his mind is miles away, in a quaint house somewhere away from this dreadful kingdom with Kylo Ren, lying in bed together whilst the rain patters against the windows. It’s a future he was holding onto so tightly that he believed that nothing would pry it from his fingers.

Seemingly, he forgot about the inevitability of his biology.

“I shall collect you tomorrow night, Armitage. I’ll have to contact that dark sorcerer to break the charm. It’d be sensible to have his beside me once it’s broken too, I suppose, in case you try and fight against me and your fate, but you wouldn’t be so stupid, would you, _omega?”_

Hux scowls, lip twitching in frustration. “ _No, sir._ ”

Brendol leans in, and the same scowl appears on his lips. _“Good boy.”_

With nothing else said, Brendol stands, purposely turning exaggeratedly when putting his cloak back on to knock his half-full teacup onto the floor, smashing it in the process. The alpha looks to the broken porcelain and then back up to Hux, a disgustingly smug grin on his lips as he finally leaves.   

The soft familiarity of Kylo’s earthy scent is gone from Hux’s room, replaced with Brendol’s foul, overbearing _liqueur-based_ scent.

And the silence is his loneliness again.

He stands quietly, kneeling beside his broken teacup and picking the shattered pieces up and into his palm, his tears dripping down onto the floor, no longer having the strength to do anything but cry for his lost future, his lost _everything._ There’s no escaping the ring of fire around his tower, and no escaping the life Brendol has damned him to.

In anguish and with a tormented roar, Hux stands and throws the other cup at the wall but collapses back down amongst their broken shards when he finds that his knees are much too weak to hold such anger. He melts back down, bringing his knees up to his chest and sobs.

 _‘Kylo_.’ Beautiful, chaotic Kylo.

Hux hadn’t thought it possible to find so much _happiness_ in one person. He thinks of how he’s going to break the news of his betrothal to Kylo and how the _hell_ he’s going to be able to say goodbye to him.

He can’t.

The morning passes, as does most of the afternoon, and Hux doesn’t move from his position on the floor, ignoring the numbness in his legs, too busy focussing on his ill-fated future to care about his pain. He does, however, look to the stairwell when he hears heavy footsteps but he soon buries his head back into his folded arms atop his raised knees, unable to look at Kylo’s beautifully deep eyes and destroy what they’ve both built.

Hux’s skin prickles when Kylo comes closer though he’s startled slightly when the alpha obviously drops to his knees in front of Hux, yet it isn’t cause enough for Hux to look up.

“Forgive me,” Kylo’s voice trembles. “I was…delayed. I’m sorry, Hux.”

“I…I’m…”

“I understand you must be angry with me. I didn’t have you down as one to smash crockery but I can feel the remnants of rage in their broken pieces. Please, Hux. I’d understand if you want me to leave but let me speak before you banish me for abandoning you.”

“Ren—”

“The recent days that I’ve spent with you have been the happiest of my life, Hux. I really think that the forest’s magic led me to you for a reason, and I’m…grateful that it did. I knew from the moment I saw you across the meadow that you were mine and I was yours. And…I’m sorry that I’ve forced you away like this, Armitage. I’m sorry—”

_“I’m betrothed!”_

Hux looks up finally but the words fall away from him when his gaze sets upon Kylo’s face. There’s a darkening bruise around his right eye and a three, parallel cuts across his cheek, still oozing a little blood.

“Kylo,” Hux breathes. “What happened to you?”

Hux reaches up, hands still trembling, but Kylo catches his wrists and moves them away, shying away from the omega’s gaze.

“My Master was _displeased_ with my lack of progress. It’s nothing. But _Hux._ You’re betrothed? _What?”_

“I’m not angry with _you,_ Ren. Never, my belove—” Hux freezes once he’s spoken, having never called anyone such a thing before but Kylo’s expression only softens, and Hux continues. “My father came this morning. He’s found an alpha mate for me. The son of one of the ruthless military generals, and he’s coming back tomorrow night with a sorcerer to break the spell and to take me away to be bonded and bred.”

Hux can’t say any more. His words become consumed by the sobs that have wracked his tired body for hours but this time, Kylo’s arms— _home—_ are there to engulf him and soothe him. Crying into the alpha’s shoulder, Hux clings on, wishing that he’s going to open his eyes and all of this is going to be a horrible nightmare, and he’s going to wake up in Kylo’s warm arms in bed.

But when he blinks, he’s still in the tower, and Kylo’s face is still bruised.

“What you said,” Hux mutters, pulling away from the embrace. Kylo keeps his head down, hair obscuring half of his face. “About us being _each other’s._ I…knew it too. And I want that. Stars, _I want you.”_

If it weren’t for the silence around them, Hux wouldn’t have been able to hear the gentle rattling sounds of the broken teacup fragments on the floor. Frowning, he looks down at them before he’s distracted by Kylo’s hand taking hold of his, and Hux looks up just in time to see Kylo’s hair fall back into place to reveal his eyes.

No longer the soft brown that Hux is used to, Kylo’s eyes now look sinisterly more _yellow;_ sulfuric and burning.

“I won’t let them take you,” Kylo _growls,_ his tone resonating deep in Hux’s bones. “You’re mine, and I’m yours, Hux. I swear it. I'll go back to my Master's den and find something to break the spell. Reverse it, cure it. You're mine. _I won’t let them take you_.”

And with nothing more than a few days’ worth of knowledge of the young, dark sorcerer to go on, Hux takes hold of Kylo’s cheeks, careful not to knock his cuts and bruising, and kisses him _deeply,_ feeling his vision of his happy future return to him.

He has hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE CHAPTER LEFT! 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's read along with our fic and been so lovely with kudos & comments!! I'd really appreciate it if you went over to [@pangolinpirate's tumblr](https://pangolinpirate.tumblr.com/ask) and send her a nice message or two ❤️ She really deserves it!
> 
> My tumblr is [@solohux](http://solohux.tumblr.com/) @pangolinpirate is [here](https://pangolinpirate.tumblr.com/)! ❤️


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S THE FINAL CHAPTER.

Tonight, a full moon sits high in the night sky, giving light to the Enchanted Forest that it isn’t usually blessed with. To a natural sorcerer like Kylo Ren, just being out in the midnight air, in the moonlight is enough to make him feel stronger, like he could conquer this land and move onto the next without tiring. On nights like this, Kylo can spend hours in the forest, training and perfecting his teachings.

But tonight is not a usual night. The moonlight is good for nothing but lighting Silencer’s path as Kylo forces him on through the winding mass of trees, and as a looming reminder of dawn’s approach.

A countdown until Hux is stolen from him.

He can’t bear the thought of _his_ lover in the arms of another alpha, especially if Hux is unwilling. The Tarkin family are known throughout the kingdom for their nobility and cunningness; even when Kylo was part of the neighbouring kingdom, his people knew of Willhuff’s _escapades._ Queen Leia dealt with him as infrequently as she could, despising the man for his cruel ways, but nevertheless, Kylo has met the man and his son, Weslan, more than once. He didn’t like the pair _then,_ he _despises_ them now.

Silencer whinnies and slows down once he approaches the shallow river, trotting down its bank and heading towards the wide-mouthed cave that Kylo calls _home._ The opening is large enough for the horse to walk through, but Kylo hops off his steed and removes his bridle and saddle before making a few clicking noises with his tongue. Silencer nickers, knocking his head against Kylo’s shoulder before returning to the outside to drink from the river.

Content that his steed is safe, Kylo trudges through the ankle-deep water in the cave, already summoning his powers forward to his palms in preparation. Moving objects with his mind has always come easy to him; it’s the thing that made the other children in the palace afraid of him, and it was the very first thing that Master Snoke taught him to control.

Kylo stands with his legs shoulder-width apart in front of the back stone wall of the cave, staring up at it with determination. Raising one arm, the sorcerer opens his palm and the familiar red glow engulfs his hand as his magic manifests and the stone wall almost creaks underneath the pressure. The rock begins to tremble and suddenly burst forward out of the wall in hundreds of tiny chunks, revealing a dark passageway behind it. When Master Snoke first introduced him to his hideaway, Kylo had struggled to hold the rocks whilst trudging forward through the water, unable to split his focus onto more than one task; a failure, in Snoke’s eyes. Young Kylo had spent that night outside of the cave in the shivering cold, cursing himself for being weak.

But now, years later and certain that he’s close to surpassing his Master, Kylo can keep the rocks suspended and walk into the den without hesitating, letting them rearrange themselves behind him to seal him inside the old sorcerer’s den.

Far too aware that time is not on his side, Kylo leaps down the small set of winding stone steps and descends quickly into the main chamber of Master Snoke’s underground refuge, where the only light comes from floating candles that are spread across the room near the ceiling in a circular formation, hovering gently. Two tall bookcases stand next to each other against the far wall, filled with books and papers that Kylo is certain are older than Master Snoke himself. Four rectangular tables sit pushed together in the centre of the room with scraps of parchment on them, along with bottles of potions and concoctions, showing signs of recent work. But before Kylo can begin his search for something to free Hux, the wooden door to one of the two adjoining chambers opens with a creak.

“Young Kylo, I did not expect you back so early.”

Kylo turns, seeing Master Snoke emerge from his bedchambers, his tall and lean body adorning his usual golden robes, but no amount of rest can revive the man’s wrinkled and scarred face.

“No, Master, but my training was interrupted. I was meditating upstream,” Kylo says, trying his best to keep both his voice and aura calm in the hopes that Snoke doesn’t detect his deception. The bruise under his eyes and the scratches on his face throb a little; a reminder of what can happen when Snoke becomes displeased with him. “A vision of fire came to me like an arrow though the head. Fire that burned in a circle. I must know what it means, so came back early to study my vision.”

Snoke stares at him for a moment, regarding him with an air of caution, cocking his head, before his expression returns to neutral. Kylo wants to breathe a sigh of relief.

“And just when I believed your interest in the ancient texts was non-existent. It would seem as though I have taught you well, young apprentice. Study. Indulge your curiosities in the written word,” Snoke waves his hand towards the bookcase. “But I have _much_ to contemplate. I have been contacted by an old acquaintance and I must meditate before I meet with him. Do what you will but do _not_ disrupt me whilst I am in the forest. Do you understand, youngling?”

Kylo scowls at the name but nods nonetheless. “I understand, Master.”

He watches with his breath held as Snoke gives him a final nod of approval before he moves slowly past Kylo and up the stone steps. As soon as Kylo hears that the stone door has been reset, he sets straight to work on finding a spell to break Hux’s spell.  

He tears the place apart looking for answers. Snoke has said that he’s the oldest sorcerer in the kingdom, _preached_ to Kylo almost every night whilst commanding the most difficult of tasks on his apprentice and chastising him for failing to be the sorcerer his Grandfather was.

So, Snoke _must_ have something on how to break the spell that another magic-wilder placed on Hux and his tower.

The books aren’t organised so Kylo just starts from the top shelf. Blowing the dust from their leather covers, he finds spells on conjuring lightning, on controlling the minds of weak alphas and betas, even some documentation on attempt at bringing back the dead but omegas are so rare that Kylo doesn’t so much as come across more than a few mentions of _omegas_ in Snoke’s books, and _nothing_ to do with a charm that’s so strong that it can keep an individual trapped in its hold.

Hexes, charms and dark magic galore; but nothing that can free Hux from his enchanted prison.

“No,” Kylo says to himself through gritted teeth, tossing another set of papers aside and rubbing his hands down his face. He can feel his anger rising like lava inside of him, heat bubbling in his veins until he can’t control himself. “It’s not _fair!”_

Kylo yells loudly, using his powers to fling all of the open books across the room, making the bookshelf contort in on itself until it collapses, taking all of the light with it. With the flames on the candles now extinguished, Kylo kneels in the dark, the only light being from the eerie red glow of his magic that swells around his trembling hands. The quiet sounds of his lament fill the chamber whilst tears drip from his eyes; like everyone else in his life, Kylo has failed Hux.

“I’m sorry, Hux,” Kylo whispers, closing his eyes. “I’m not strong enough.”

He imagines Hux standing in front of him, glowing like one of heaven’s angels, wearing clothes that are fit for royalty and not the ripped ones that Kylo is used to seeing his omega in. The illusion doesn’t speak, much to Kylo’s disappointment. He kneels in front of Kylo, bringing the alpha’s gaze from the floor to meet with his own.

Hux is radiant, Kylo thinks, taking in the glowing form of his mind’s projection of his lover. There are no stress lines or tired bags on Hux’s face, only pale, porcelain skin with a light dusting of freckles over his nose, loosely ruffled ginger hair that looks freshly dried by the forest’s afternoon sun, and a small smile on his thin lips that makes Kylo’s tears stop falling.

“Forgive me, Armitage Hux,” Kylo says, searching for reprieve in Hux’s eyes. “I can’t save you. I’m not strong enough to break your spell on my own. I’m weak…”

But Hux remains silent. Even when he stands and looks down on Kylo’s defeated form, he says nothing, moving past Kylo to the opposite side of the room to where the broken bookcase lies in tatters amongst ruined pages of books. Kylo turns, sitting himself down properly on the floor, ready to spend eternity in this dark den as penance for failing his lover. He watches Hux move, eyes trailing down his lithe body, admiring the way the royal red silk hangs off his sharp curves, but Hux is pointing to something then, something that Kylo failed to see amidst all of his woes and anger.

A secret nook in the wall, previously hidden by the bookcase. A single, red book sits inside next to a pot of black ink and a white quill. Kylo has never seen any of these items before.

Hux is staring at him as he stands up from the floor to approach the nook slowly, cocking his head in bewilderment. Kylo can suddenly hear dark but quiet voices mumbling nonsense words into his mind as he stares at the book, feeling his fingertips buzzing with magic as though getting itself ready to attack.

He reaches out for it, being careful not to touch the wobbly bottle of ink, and feels a jolt of electricity as the leather touches his fingertips. Its cover is rough through years of wear and the pages are a shade of yellow-brown that reminds Kylo of the changing leaves at the end of summer, but nothing so pleasant is _inside_ the book.

Each page contains an enchantment; a list of items used in the spell, an incantation beside it and a pledge of payment to the sorcerer Snoke, all accompanied by a unique signature at the bottom of the page and a cut of human hair beside the scrawling. Kylo looks through each of the pages, finding that Snoke has dealt with an array of different people over the years; from infertile omegas and betas looking for help to conceive, to alphas wanting to poison their rivals, from farmers looking to revive their dead crops, to people wanting cures for their sick relatives. Every single one of them has agreed to some sort of personal payment to Snoke himself, whether that be supplies for his potions or something a little more sinister.

And towards the end of the book, the last enchantment performed is for an imprisonment spell, signed and agreed to by Brendol Hux.

Kylo almost drops the book. He looks to his side but finds that the illusion _Hux_ is nowhere to be found, disappeared back into Kylo’s memory. He smiles, though, thanking Hux for having helped him in more ways than one but it soon fades. Time is still against him, he still has to find a spell to break the enchantment, and he has a feeling that his book will help.

Re-reading Brendol Hux’s page in the red book, Kylo analyses every word, all written in Snoke’s messy but cursive-calligraphic handwriting.

_‘Enchantment Of Imprisonment,_

_Ingredients needed;_

_\- the greenest leaf from an oak tree_

_\- ash from a freshly dead fire_

_\- a tear from a lonely soul_

_\- a common wildflower.’_

To the right of the list is a symbol depicted in thick, black ink. It’s a circle encasing a much smaller circle inside, with pointed spikes drawn on the top of the largest circle and on the bottom, resembling an old hunting trap that looks closed, as though keeping something in its hold. It’s what Kylo has seen villagers used against wild animals, yet it’s being used in part of a spell to trap an omega. Four lines of nonsense words sit next to the symbol; obviously the incantation needed to bring the spell to life.

Kylo keeps on reading, directing his attention to the little paragraph just above the signature at the bottom of the page.

‘ _I, Brendol Hux, do hereby agree to the payment as discussed with Sorcerer Snoke in return for his aid and his genius regarding the confinement and protection of my firstborn son, Armitage. I, as General of the King’s guard, submit use of the King’s armies to Snoke when he deems it necessary for his own use. 100 silver pieces will also be given to Snoke for his need to buy ingredients for my spell. In addition, I agree to Sorcerer Snoke harvesting what he needs from the omega, Armitage, on the day that a mate is found for him and the spell is to be broken. Upon that day, I swear that Sorcerer Snoke will be the first soul that I come to in order to free Armitage from his prison. No other alpha shall get to him first._

_Signed,’_

\--and Brendol’s big, extravagant signature is scribbled at the bottom, next to a thick cut of Hux’s bright orange hair that’s glued to the page.

Kylo’s stomach turns over. He wants to heave, cough and gag to shed himself of the retched thoughts of Snoke trapping Hux in his tower, only to free him years later and take what he needs for his potions. Bottle Hux’s scent? His _seed?_ Or even _knot him?_

Kylo has promised that he’ll never allow anyone else to touch Hux, and if that means turning against his own Master, then _so be it._

Tearing the page out of the book and casting the rest of it aside, Kylo clutches the page tightly, getting a slight whiff of Hux’s scent from it, likely the strands of his ginger hair being stuck to it. With the ingredients of the spell now known to him, Kylo has no doubt that he’s got enough time to work out how to break it and free Hux—

“Are you going somewhere, _youngling?”_

Kylo’s heart jumps, turning to see Snoke looming in the stairway, eyeing the mess that Kylo made in his anger. With a wave of Snoke’s hand, the candles floating above their heads reignite, giving Snoke a brighter and fuller view of the ruined bookcase and books that lie strewn all over the floor.

“Yes, Master.” Kylo thinks about hiding the paper behind his back but from the _amused_ look in Snoke’s eyes, the old creature has already seen it. “I found the answer to my vision and I thought it best to return to the stream to continue my…uh, exploration.”

“Indeed,” Snoke replies, raising his eyebrows. His gaze shifts past Kylo to the little nook in the wall. “I see you’ve discovered my— _ah—business_ records. Humans have always been in awe of us, you know. _Sorcerers._ Jealous of our powers, afraid of what we’re capable of. It was only a matter of time before they came to us seeking benefit. Brendol Hux and his _bitch_ of a son were no different.”

Kylo _snarls,_ only to realise that’s exactly the reaction that Snoke wanted from him.

“Do you take me for a _fool,_ Kylo Ren?” Snoke begins to take slow steps closer to Kylo, moving as though slithering like a snake; no visible foot movement underneath his robes. “You’ve had the omega’s scent on you for _days,_ and you expect me to believe your deceit about meditation in the forest. I merely believed that you were using an omegan whore to satiate your knot. Alas, I wouldn’t have guessed that Brendol Hux’s bastard would be the calling that you seek. But your attentions are misplaced. Brendol Hux has already been in contact with me to break the spell. The Tarkins are already on their way over to the tower to collect their prize.”

“He’s not a prize to be won,” Kylo snaps.

“What other use to omegas have if not to be won and used?” Snoke asks, tilting his head. “For centuries, omegas have been nothing but the pets at their alpha’s feet. No will of their own, only wanting to follow others.”

“Not Hux. He’s diff—”

“ _Different.”_ Snoke snorts in laughter. “That’s what your grandfather said about the woman who led _him_ astray. She was an omega too, come to think of it. Headstrong, beautiful, a fiery soul. A little like your precious Armitage, hm? Listen to me closely, Kylo Ren. Do not let an omega ruin _you_ and your destiny. That’s what your grandfather did, and he died a _fool._ ”

“My destiny lies outside of these four walls,” Kylo says, shifting one hand behind his back and letting his magic pool in his palm, charging up. “You’ve outlived your uses, _Master._ I’m going to free Hux and leave this pathetic land. I’m my own master, now. You’ve come to an end.”

Gritting his teeth and making sure he keeps tight hold of the page containing the precious spell, Kylo swings his arm around and unleashes his charged blast directly at Snoke, watching as red streaks of magic fly from his hand and crackle through the air—only for Snoke to retaliate with his own magic, unleashing a pummelling wave of blue lightning onto Kylo, who flies back and hits the wall when the lightning strikes him.

Trembling with the aftershocks of being electrocuted, Kylo groans and stands up on shaking legs, gathering what magic he can to defend himself against the blade that Snoke has manifested into his cold hands. The old sorcerer lunges at Kylo with the intent to kill, but Kylo uses his magic like shields and deflects the attacks, raising his hands to block the incoming strikes.

In his desperate defence, Kylo drops the page he was holding onto.

Losing it would mean losing the spell to save Hux, but whilst Kylo’s attention is distracted, Snoke is attentive. He strikes Kylo’s stomach and then moves the blade upwards in one swift movement, catching Kylo’s cheek and cutting him, missing his eye by a mere fraction of a measurement and sending blood trickling down his face. Recoiling in agony, Kylo cries out and falls backwards, gasping as he holds his burning wounds; one hand on his stomach and the other on his cheek.

“I never thought you would be such a disappointment, Kylo,” Snoke chastises, tutting. “ _Unbalanced._ I thought you would be the one to bring reign back to the sorcerers. Such raw power gone to waste because of an _omega_ you want to _fuck._ ”

“Th—that’s not true,” Kylo says through gritted teeth. “ _I love him.”_

“ _And look at you,”_ Snoke yells, pointing to Kylo’s fallen form with the very tip of his blade. “Split down to the bone by your own Master, the one who took you in when you were nothing more than a lost, starving boy in the middle of nowhere, begging for _my_ help. I created you! You’re no Vader. You’re still that pathetic, little _Prince_ that killed his own _father_ out of fear. A boy pretending to be an alpha.” Snoke squats down in front of Kylo and stares into his _soul._ “It’s for the best that Armitage is being taken by the Tarkin’s alpha son. You’ve failed him, Kylo— _ah_ —, Ben Organa-Solo. Armitage is going to be bred and filled with a _real_ alpha’s seed, fucked on a _real_ alpha’s knot, and he’s going to forget all about you because you’re nothing. But not before I get to him.”

Kylo feels sick. “N-no, I won’t let you—”

“You won’t have a choice, young Organa,” Snoke chuckles lowly. “It was part of the payment. Omegan seed _and_ blood can be very useful in potions. And besides, it’s been a while since I’ve felt the beautiful tightness of a young, _virgin_ omega like him—”

Kylo _screams._ His entire aura burns with the red glow of his magic as he forces himself to his feet with Snoke’s blade suddenly in his palm, its tip being thrust straight through the old sorcerer’s stomach in a flash, cutting him so deep that death is already looming. Dark red blood spills down onto Kylo’s hand as he digs the blade in further, pushing Snoke back across the room until he’s against the wall, collapsing against it with heaving and unsteady breaths. Kylo wishes he had the strength—and the time—to cut the old creature in half.

“ _I_ am the master,” Kylo growls, giving the blade one final twist before shoving Snoke back and letting the creature take his last few breaths with his _apprentice_ standing over him, dying in Kylo’s shadow.

Snoke coughs on his blood as he tries to spit at Kylo but dribbles instead, letting out one last ragged breath before slumping completely onto the ground.

Kylo exhales, groaning as his stomach and face throb with sudden pain. He turns, wanting to find the important page and run to Hux but before he can even squat to pick anything up, the floating candles above his head plummet to the ground without Snoke’s magic to keep them up. All of the loose pages and books on the floor are set alight suddenly, the parchment paper standing no chance against the flames.

“ _No,_ ” Kylo gasps and staggers back as the fire takes over. He can _see_ the page he needs on the floor, almost as though the strands of Hux’s hair on it are _glowing._

Raising his hand whilst moving out of the den, Kylo summons what little strength he has left to levitate the paper up and over the flames, narrowly missing the fire. The hair on the page is singed but all Kylo needs is the chant and the list of ingredients.

Giving no care to Snoke’s body, Kylo staggers up the steps and back out into the cave, transforming the rock wall at the top of the staircase into hundreds of tiny chunks to let him escape before setting them back in quickly to trap the blazing fire inside of the underground den. Collapsing back into the ankle-deep water of the forest cave, Kylo collapses back onto his ass and pants hard, exhausted and overwhelmed. Killing another alpha certainly gets the adrenaline rushing, Kylo thinks, feeling as though he could conquer galaxies right now. He leans back for a moment and closes his eyes, seeing stars behind his eyelids. He imagines Hux and himself as kings of the galaxy, standing before a dark sky full of bright stars with their hands held in each other’s, matching crowns on their heads and matching rings on their fingers for all to see. It’s a dream that Kylo has seen before when asleep, on the very first night he watched Hux from afar, yet to learn his name. Then, it had seemed impossible. Now, with the cure to the enchantment in his hand, Kylo knows it’s a reality.

A small nickering sound and a cold nose bumping against his head brings Kylo out of his fantasies, and he looks up to see Silencer looking a little worried for him.

“I’m okay,” Kylo says, standing up, though needing to hold on to Silencer’s bridle for support as he climbs into the saddle, wobbling slightly from blood loss but knows he has to carry on without aid. The horse huffs. “No, I know I don’t _look_ okay but we haven’t time to fix things, Silencer. Hux is waiting for us. The Tarkins—they’re coming. I need you to run faster than you ever have before, boy. _Please.”_

Kylo gives him a pat and a scratch, hoping that the horse trusts him enough to run like the almightiest wind to Hux’s tower. They’ve come a long way since Kylo found the wounded animal near the edge of the forest, with the sound of wolves howling getting closer and closer as the night drew in. But Silencer whinnies loudly before bolting out of the cave with a splashing of the water underneath his hooves and Kylo has to hold on tight as his loyal steed gallops through the forest, cutting through the evening air like an arrow. Leaping over vines and old fallen trees, the pair ride hard through the forest as the sun begins to make way for the moon and the sky turns from a bright blue to a subtle orange.

Time is running out. Kylo, with the page from Snoke’s book still in his hand, prays with all he has that is isn’t too late.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

Hux does not sleep at all that night. He watches Kylo leave hurriedly upon Silencer’s back, darting into the dead of night, through the forest trees, in search of a spell that will free Hux from the ring of fire around his tower.

He doesn’t doubt Kylo or his magical powers, but what he _does_ doubt is his father’s ability to be anything _but_ conniving and cruel; would Brendol and the sorcerer he paid have left room for such a cure to exist? Or is Brendol’s intention to drag him through the trap and burn his skin before throwing him into the arms of an inhumane alpha?

Either way, Hux would be taken from Kylo, and that outcome is not an option.

Sitting himself on his balcony and watching the clouds move across the sky, Hux waits. He has always thought that time passes differently inside the tower, where mundane and monotonous routine makes the minutes and hours pass much slower than the real world but today, when time is _not_ in excess, it’s dusk before Hux has realised. The blue sky is fading, as is Hux’s hope that Kylo has succeeded.

The sound of approaching horse hooves brings Hux out of his premature disappointment and he stands up on his balcony, praying that Kylo comes through the trees and _not_ his father and the Tarkin’s son. He stays up in his tower just in case it’s the latter, holding his trusted frying pan in his hand just in case things become nasty.

But the weapon drops from his hand as soon as he sees his darling Kylo Ren step through the clearing of trees and into the meadow, clutching a piece of parchment in his hand. Elation floods Hux’s body, smiling widely as he darts back into his tower and descends the steps with a spring in his step, leaping towards his saviour with his eyes stringing with joyful tears.

 _Then_ he sees the blood.

Kylo falls forward onto his hands and knees, catching himself from landing face-first into the long, soft grass. Dried blood stains one side of his face whilst, even through his black robes, Hux can see stains of blood on his left side.

“ _Ren,_ Ren, oh, stars,” Hux skids to his knees beside the alpha and takes hold of his shoulders. “What happened to you? Quick, let’s get you inside. I’ve got bandages and ointment to stop the bleeding—”

“No time,” Kylo says, voice gruff. “T-they’ll be here soon.”

“Kylo, you’ll _die._ ”

“They’re only scratches. I’ll live,” Kylo says, kneeling now and opening the folded page to show to Hux. “I’ve found it.”

Hux gasps in joy, reading from the top of the page. _“‘Enchantment Of Imprisonment_. That’s the spell? Do you know it?”

“My Master was the one your father went to all those years ago,” Kylo says, nodding. “Snoke was the sorcerer who created the fiery seal to keep you in here.”

“My father said that he’d get in contact with the sorcerer who was responsible for the spell in order to break it.”

“He already has,” Kylo says. “Snoke was on his way to collect what he needed from his den when he caught me looking for a cure. He…did this to me.”

“That _snake,_ ” Hux snarls, taking hold of Kylo’s uninjured cheek and giving him a quick kiss. “I’ll have his head for this once I’m free.”

Kylo smirks, “I’ve already taken his miserable life from him. He won’t interfere with my destiny any longer. _You._ ”

Hux almost _leaps_ onto Kylo, wrapping his arms around his alpha’s neck and hugging him close. From when he was just a boy in training, Hux was always taught not to celebrate a victory too early but now, with freedom and a new life with Kylo within touching distance, he can’t help but feel victorious.

But when Kylo pulls himself free of Hux’s hold, his feelings waver.

“There’s one issue,” Kylo says, looking down at the paper, running his finger down the writing. “ _This_ was the spell used to create the trap. It…says nothing on how to break it.”

“ _What?_ ” Hux snatches the paper from the ground and reads over it quickly, seeing nothing about freedom or how to break the spell. “This can’t be. There _must_ be a way!”

“Have faith in me, my beloved,” Kylo says, taking the page from Hux’s hand. “I have excelled my teacher, Vader’s blood is in my veins. I think I know what to do.”

“ _Think_? We haven’t time to experiment!” Kylo rolls his eyes. Hux swats him on the arm. “Ren. Those bastard Tarkins could be here at any moment. _Please._ ”

“These ingredients. And this emblem.” Kylo points to the list of 4 items at the top of the page, then to the animal trap symbol. “They’re what _created_ the enchantment. _Reverse them,_ reverse the spell.”

_Reverse._

Hux understands, recalling having read something about reversal magic in one of his many books, but he wouldn’t know where to begin putting it into practice. He looks at the list of ingredients again— _the greenest leaf from an oak tree, ash from a freshly dead fire, a tear from a lonely soul and a common wildflower_ —and questions the reversal’s possibility, especially the last item.

“We’ve got to find all of those things? The _opposite_ of all those things?” Hux asks, confused.

Kylo says nothing, seemingly too deep in concentration, but stands up slowly, holding his hip, and looks around at the surrounding trees.

“I need something to draw a symbol with,” he says to Hux, still glancing from tree to tree.

There’s something different in Kylo’s tone that makes the hairs on the back of Hux’s neck stand on end, though Hux’s lips turn into a small smile as he hurries back inside the tower to search for something for Kylo to use. He forgets that Kylo is a dark sorcerer sometimes, blinded by the alpha’s beauty and charm to remember that he’s the grandson of the most powerful sorcerer who ever _lived._

The first search of his tower proves fruitless, finding nothing that would be of any use until he goes into his washroom and finds the little drawstring bag of lavender bath salts that Kylo gave to him when they were courting, before Hux even _knew_ that he had an alpha watching him and admiring him. He gives them one last sniff before going back outside to Kylo, finding that the alpha looks paler than ever but it sitting with a very brown and crumbling leaf in his hand whilst he works on setting a small pile of sticks and dried leaves alight.

“Will these do?” Hux asks, presenting the little bag to Kylo.

The alpha smiles, opening his hand. “I gave those to you. A courting gift.”

“You did. Somehow, you knew lavender was my favourite scent.”

Kylo opens the bag and begins to pour them out onto the grass in a symbol, tipping the salts with grace. He makes an image in the grass just like the one drawn on the page, except he ensures that he draws the animal trap with its mouth _open_ instead of closed, freeing whatever wounded animal it had in its hold.

Hux watches in awe.

Kylo, with a wildness in his dark eyes, places the dying leaf at the top of the symbol before turning back to the newborn fire, reaching out to take some of the embers in his red-glowing palm before guiding them over to where the leaf sits.

“The brownest lead from an oak tree. Embers from a freshly born fire,” Kylo says, sitting on his knees at the foot of the magical arrangement. He looks up at Hux, his dark hair sticking to some of the dried blood on his cheek. “A tear from a loved soul and an uncommon wildflower.”

“Halfway there,” Hux sighs, looking up at the orange sky. “Where are we going to get the last two from?”

Kylo stands up and approaches Hux slowly, a limp to his walk, but his worries for Kylo melt away when the alpha cups his cheek and leans in to kiss him on his lips; wholly, _passionately._

“I love you,” Kylo whispers. “Any tear you shed will never be sad again, Hux. I’m here, and I’ll always be beside you. I swear it. If you’ll allow it, I’ll spend the rest of my life by your side, making you happy. Please.”

Hux opens his mouth to reply but finds his words are lost. All he can do is melt into Kylo’s touch and blink to allow a single tear to drip from his pale eyelashes onto his cheek, gracing his freckled skin so gently that Kylo manages to guide it into the little vial in his hand, bottling it forever.

“Kylo. I—. _Yes._ I want you by my side.”

This time, it’s Kylo’s turn to be speechless, but rather than facing his lover, he turns and kneels beside the rune that he made in the grass, setting the little vial down next to the brown leaf and the floating embers.

“We have what we need,” Kylo says, sitting back to check over the symbol.

Hux frowns. “No, we don’t. The wildflower. An _uncommon_ wildflower. Gods, Ren. You could be searching through the forest all night for rare flower!”

“It’s not a real _flower,_ ” Kylo replies, closing his eyes. “Magic isn’t always so black and white, Hux.”

“Then, _what_? A metaphorical flower? How in the Gods’ name—”

“The creation of the charm needed a common wildflower for the spell to work,” Kylo says, lifting his hands either side of him, opening his glowing palms to the skies. “It wasn’t a flower, it wasn’t a lowly little plant that sat amongst the rest of the ingredients. It was _you,_ Hux. You were the wildflower.”

Hux stands back, mouth agape. “ _How?”_

“You’re an omega living in a world plagued by obnoxious alphas and conforming betas,” Kylo says, a small smile on his lips as he concentrates on the spell. “An independent thinker. Bravely growing wild and free in the forests despite the harshness around it. _Untameable._ I’d say that sounds like you.”

“A _common_ wildflower? I should think there’s an insult in there somewhere. What does _that_ mean?”

“ _Common_. Lowly, a labourer. Not of royal blood.”

“Ren, you’re making less and less sense,” Hux stomps his feet and throws his arms open dramatically, _exhausted._ “You’ve _said_ that we need the reverse of the original ingredients for this to work. An _uncommon_ wildflower? So we need someone who’s also _untameable_ AND _of_ royal blood to complete the spell? Impossible!”

Hux is _almost_ angry at them getting _so fucking close_ to succeeding, only for it to be ripped away from him at the very last second but before he can scream at the heavens for being so cruel, Kylo’s silence deafens him. Hux looks down at the kneeling sorcerer, seeing him staring back up at him with deep, watering brown eyes.

“I was going to tell you, Hux. I promise, I was going to tell you about my past,” Kylo says, his entire aura sparkling and glowing red with the intensity of his magic. Hux takes a step back as the wind around them grows stronger. “I’m the lost prince of the kingdom of Alderaan. _I’m_ Ben Organa-Solo.”

A wildflower prince.

During his visits, Brendol has told Hux of the neighbouring kingdom losing their prince; a young boy with dark hair, lost in the forest…for an old sorcerer to find and take in.

But before the truth of Kylo’s past can fully settle in, Hux calls out Kylo’s name and reaches out for him but Kylo is already beginning his chant of the nonsensical words on the parchment paper, making the leaf, the embers and the little vial shake underneath the intensity of both his dark voice and his magic. Thunder seems to rumble above them in the cloudless sky, the ground beneath Hux’s bare feet trembles and the trees surrounding them seem to bend and contort underneath the intense strength of the wind. Kylo is still chanting, repeating the sentences over and over again, opening his eyes slowly to reveal sulfuric yellow irises that send waves of fear through Hux’s core. Fire ignites all around them, bursting to life in the shape of the circle that surrounds Hux’s tower; now, truly trapped by a real ring of fire. He whimpers, wrapping his arms around himself and tries not to panic—

‘ _Don’t be afraid, Hux.’_ Kylo’s soft voice echoes through Hux’s mind. Hux is baffled; Kylo’s lips don’t move, his eyes don’t falter yet he can hear Kylo’s voice as clear as day inside his head. ‘ _I feel it, too. You’re going to be free.’_

Hux yells and shields his eyes as symbol on the floor begins to shine brightly, emitting a blinding white light that engulfs the entirety of the meadow, growing and growing until it bursts up into the sky, showering the clearing in sparkles that fall like raindrops, and Hux feels an intense shiver consume his body from head to toe; like being drenched in cold water in the middle of a heatwave. Unpleasant, but a relief.

When Hux opens his eyes, all is calm and all is silent. The fire is gone and the thunder has been stopped. He looks down at his own hands and then up at the sky, feeling _lighter,_ feeling _freer._ Even without Kylo’s words, Hux _knows_ that his darling alpha, knight and lover has succeeded in saving him. But as he looks from the falling sparkles to Kylo, a heaviness consumes his chest.

The alpha has collapsed back into the grass, lying limply with his arms splayed out, completely unmoving.

“ _Kylo_! No. Oh, stars. Please, no!”

Fearing the worst, Hux bolts over to his fallen lover and takes him in his arms, begging him to be alright. Kylo’s skin is gleaming with sweat and has a light dusting of soot over his cheeks and nose. His wound that bisects his face still looks sore, as does the bruising under his eye, but all Hux cares about is the steady rise and fall of his chest. Leaning down and pressing his ear against the alpha’s chest, Hux exhales in sheer relief when he hears Kylo’s heartbeat.

“Oh, _thank the heavens._ Ren? Ren, you did it. _You’ve saved me,_ ” Hux says, stroking through Kylo’s messy, dark hair. “We can _leave._ Go wherever we want to, but you have to wake up. Do you hear me? Kylo? What would be in the point in my freedom if I can’t spend it with you?”

Hux bites his lip but it isn’t enough to stop his tears from dripping onto Kylo’s cheek, smudging the ash that’s settled on his pale skin. Rocking him, Hux brings Kylo up a little higher to hold him closer, settling his forehead against Kylo’s, remembering the first time they did this. It was after their very first kiss, when freedom seemed a million miles away and merely being _beside_ Kylo was enough. But now, with the enchantment broken and with Kylo asking Hux to _have_ him, a whole new world awaits them both.

“Nngh…” A small groan escapes Kylo’s dry lips, starling Hux. “You think so _loudly._ ”

Hux laughs softly, “So you’ve already told me.”

The pair hold gazes for a moment before their lips lock in a kiss, heated but meaningful, and over quickly when Kylo pulls away.

“We should go,” Kylo says, groaning as he sits up. “We don’t know how much time we have left.”

“You’re right,” Hux nods, helping Kylo to stand. “There’ll be plenty of time… _later._ ”

He slides his hand down Kylo’s chest, happy and giddy when he hears the alpha let out a low, quiet moan. But before he can act any more on it, Hux turns away and dashes back up to his tower, grabbing his pre-prepared bag of his belongings to take away with him. There are only a few items; a couple of his books, a single red rose that Kylo gifted him, his blanket and a few bits of food. Everything else here isn’t important.

Except for _that_ book.

‘ _The Princeling’s Dragon’._ Young Armitage’s favourite book, the one his mother always read to him before she passed, the one Brendol burned before his son’s eyes, the one Kylo knew meant so much to him that he gifted it to him.

Hux picks it up, rubbing his fingers across its brown leather cover and smiles, hoping his mother would be proud of the dragon that her little prince has found.

One more thing comes to mind. _Brendol._ The old alpha is due any minute, but Hux is prepared. From the very bottom of his kitchen drawer of cutlery, Hux pulls out a piece of parchment that’s folded over, opening it to reread the calloused words he’s written to his father over the years of being here. Insult after insult, Hux has written everything that implies ‘ _fuck you, Father’_ in his letter but hopes Brendol will get the overall message.

He leaves the paper in the middle of his table, _knowing_ that Brendol will find it.

Slinging his shabby, red cloak around his shoulders, Hux gives one final look to his tower before descending the steps for the final time, finding that Kylo and Silencer are already waiting for him in the meadow.

“I thought you were choosing to stay,” Kylo says, holding his hand out.

Hux passes him his bag full of belongings, pleased when Kylo huffs.

“I just had to fetch a few things,” he replies, clutching the book close to his chest. “Not that I own much. Just…things I couldn’t bear to leave behind.”

Kylo says nothing, he only smiles. Silencer nickers, nodding when Kylo attaches Hux’s bag to his saddle, stepping forwards to sniff Hux before neighing.

“He likes you,” Kylo pets his horse’s neck, ruffling his mane. “So do I.”

“I should hope so,” Hux huffs. “After all this trouble, I’d be shocked and annoyed to discover that you don’t actually like me.”

“You’re a little uptight, but we can fix that,” Kylo chuckles. Hux hits him with the book, swatting the alpha’s arm playfully. “Is that any way to treat your saviour?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. _Your Highness.”_ Kylo’s smile fades. Hux continues, “I want to hear everything about your past, Kylo Ren. But for now, I’ll have to settle with you taking me out of this meadow and across the kingdom where no one will find us.”

Kylo blinks slowly, nodding his head. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to hear.”

The alpha opens his hand to Hux, smiling, and when Hux takes it, electricity runs through his veins in excitement. He’s apprehensive to set foot over the invisible line where the enchantment once sat but with Kylo beside him, Hux takes a deep breath and takes his first step outside of the tower’s perimeter in _years._ Even the grass feels different beneath his toes.

As Kylo helps him into Silencer’s saddle, Hux can’t help but look back at his tower, hoping that it somehow collapses on Brendol and the Tarkins when they come to collect him. He wishes he could see their expressions in the flesh when they realise that he’s gone, but being in Kylo’s arms is enough to make Hux forget about everything else.

“Ready?” Kylo asks, sitting behind Hux on the saddle and leans in to kiss the nape of the omega’s pale neck, and Hux _moans._

“Take me away, Ren. _I’m yours._ ”

And Silencer trots off into the forest then, charging up to gallop away through the night air, away from everything the pair of them have ever known with a new, exciting life waiting ahead. Hux rests his back against Kylo’s chest, bearing his neck every so often so the alpha can plant open-mouthed kisses on it, preparing him for the claiming that’s to come.

But they’re halfway through the forest when Hux’s eyes widen.

“ _Wait_ ,” Hux exclaims. “I didn’t pack my heat suppressant potions.”

But a low, _eager_ hum from Kylo already gives Hux the answer he wanted to hear.

“You won’t be needing it.”

Leaning his head back against Kylo’s shoulder, Hux closes his eyes and sighs, unafraid of his future.

Finally free, finally _wild._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _The End!_ ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's read along with our fic and been on Hux's & Kylo's journey with them! @Pangolinpirate has been such a joy to work with and I'm absolutely honoured to call her a friend. You're the best, darling! Thank you for working on this collab with me! ❤️
> 
> My tumblr is [@solohux](http://solohux.tumblr.com/) and my co-writer & the artist is [@pangolinpirate](https://pangolinpirate.tumblr.com/)! ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> It begins! 
> 
> My tumblr is [@solohux](http://solohux.tumblr.com/) & pangolinpirate is [here](https://pangolinpirate.tumblr.com/)! ❤️


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